Act NOW to stop these girls from being mutilated

Family set to be deported to Nigeria – despite the threat of FGM

Mother Afusat Saliu fled Nigeria when her step-mum expressed a wish to have her eldest daughter Bassy mutilated. Female genital mutilation – or cutting – is practised on baby girls in Afusat's village and desperate for her daughter to escape the horror she herself had experienced, Afusat fled – while pregnant – to the UK.

Afusat's desperate story came to light earlier this year, when she and a friend launched a campaign to allow the family to remain in the UK. Afusat has genuine fears that if she is sent back to Nigeria, her daughters (now aged two and four) will be mutilated and she too will be at risk – Afusat also fled a marriage she was forced into with a man 40 years her senior.

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But news has reached Cosmo HQ today that Afusat and her daughters are now set to be deported. A lawyer has told The Guardian that the family has reportedly been taken into custody by Home Office officials and moved from Leeds to London in preparation for their removal tonight.

Now pressure is mounting on Richard Branson and Virgin not to fly the family back to Nigeria. Campaigners have pointed out Virgin's commitment to help stamp out FGM – with Holly Branson writing that "Every female who suffers female genital mutilation, is one female too many" on the Virgin website.

The Change.org petition asking the Home Office review Afusat's asylum case has more than 120,000 signatures and Anj Handu, the friend of Saliu who set it up, said: "We have asked, please do this properly. It is almost like they are hell-bent on getting rid of her because we got the campaign going. The political timing is bad because the Home Office wants to show it is tough on immigration."

Afusat's lawyer, Bhumika Parma, said her client had expected the deportation to be put on hold while a judicial review of her case was considered. Nigeria is home to the largest number of women subjected to FGM in the world.

Show your support for Afusat here and tweet @RichardBranson to keep these girls safe – for one more day, at least.

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